12 Facts About Paul Poom

Paul Poom was born on 30 June 1958 and is a former Estonian stage, film, television, and radio actor whose career began in the late 1970s and ended in 1993 after an assault left him permanently disabled.

Paul Poom was born and raised in Tallinn, where he attended primary and secondary schools; he is a 1976 graduate of Tallinn 37th Secondary School.

Paul Poom graduated in 1980; among his diploma productions were the roles of Semjon Karabanov and Perets in Makarenko Colony in 1979 at the Estonian State Youth Theatre which was adapted from the Anton Makarenko-penned 1933 novel The Pedagogical Poem, and Don Juan in the Moliere-penned 1665 comedy Le Festin de Pierre in 1980 at the Estonian Drama Theatre in Tallinn and the Ugala theatre in Viljandi.

Paul Poom left the theatre in 1988 and then worked as a freelance actor.

Between 1980 and 1992, Poom worked extensively as an actor in radio plays for Eesti Raadio, including productions of works by such authors and playwrights as: Gianni Rodari, Yanka Kupala, Eduard Vilde, Selma Lagerlof, Boris Vasilyev, Barrie Stavis, Nodar Dumbadze, Alexander Pushkin, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Ardi Liives, and Paul-Eerik Rummo.

Paul Poom was admitted to the hospital under the name "Paul Unknown" before lapsing into a coma and was placed on a ventilator.

Paul Poom was eventually identified and spent nearly a year in hospital and required two brain surgeries.

Paul Poom eventually regained consciousness, but was left permanently disabled; losing most of his sight, the ability to speak, and with severely impaired motor and cognitive function.

Paul Poom has only a vague recollection of the assault, believing he was attacked by two men and two women.

Paul Poom was later in a long-term relationship with actress Anne Paluver, with whom he has a son.

Paul Poom formerly lived with his elderly mother Ilse and his stepfather Henno who acted as his primary caretakers.

Paul Poom is occasionally visited by former theatre and television colleagues including former Tallinn State Conservatory classmates Ain Lutsepp, Anne Veesaar, and until 2018 Roman Baskin, as well as actor and musician Tonis Magi.